←Song of Solomon 6→BSB

In This Chapter 1 person 11 places

People

Amminadib 6

Places

    Together in the Garden

    The Friends

    ⓘ The conversation at the end of this poem...

    The conversation at the end of this poem shows it is not a real event. The dream ends when the young women of Jerusalem ask the woman where her man has gone. The woman tells them not to worry about finding him—he is back in bed with her, enjoying his garden with its spice beds and lilies, which describes sexual intimacy.
    1Where has your beloved gone,O most beautiful among women?Which way has he turned?We will seek him with you.

    The Bride

    2My beloved has gone down to his garden,to the beds of spices,to pasture his flock in the gardensand to gather lilies.3I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me;he pastures his flock among the lilies.

    The Bridegroom

    ⓘ The man describes the woman's physical beauty again....

    The man describes the woman's physical beauty again. He repeats parts of the description from Song of Solomon 4 almost word for word, showing his high regard for his wife.
    4You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah,as lovely as Jerusalem,as majestic as troops with banners.5Turn your eyes away from me,for they have overcome me.Your hair is like a flock of goatsstreaming down from Gilead.6Your teeth are like a flock of sheepcoming up from the washing;each has its twin,and not one of them is lost.7Your brow behind your veilis like a slice of pomegranate.
    ⓘ If the Song were an allegory of the...

    • If the Song were an allegory of the Lord’s love for his people, it would be a weak comparison. Solomon's many marriages poorly represent God's love and faithfulness (see 1 Kings 11:1–13).

    • sixty queens: Solomon married many wives through international treaties (see 1 Kings 11:1–3, 8).

    • Concubines were wives with lower status than a primary wife but higher than a slave. People acquired concubines through war, debt repayment, or purchase.

    • In the anthology view, mentioning queens and concubines means the woman is more desirable than all others.
    8There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,and maidens without number,9but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,the favorite of the mother who bore her.The maidens see her and call her blessed;the queens and concubines sing her praises.

    The Friends

    10Who is this who shines like the dawn,as fair as the moon,as bright as the sun,as majestic as the stars in procession?

    The Bridegroom

    11I went down to the walnut groveto see the blossoms of the valley,to see if the vines were buddingor the pomegranates were in bloom.12Before I realized it, my desire had set meamong the royal chariots of my people.†

    The Friends

    ⓘ The young women of Jerusalem talk with the...

    The young women of Jerusalem talk with the man, leading him to describe the woman's beauty and express his wish to hold her (see study note on Song of Solomon 4:1–5:1).
    13Come back, come back, O Shulammite!Come back, come back, that we may gaze upon you.

    The Bridegroom

    Why do you look at the Shulammite,as on the dance of Mahanaim ?†